Page 7 of Bayou Sunset

Now that her plan to stay with Barbara at the hospital had been shot to hell, she decided to accommodate her brothers. Besides, she needed the distraction, and a useless treasure hunt would do it. “Dat be fine. I launch athuitwit or without ya.” She clicked the button to end the call.

Thinking about tomorrow, she smiled. She hadn't told Pierre that he and JP would act as her crew since she'd given her team the day off. Besides, they wanted to be secretive, which gave them the opportunity. However, her lazy brothers would surely protest.

Pulling into Shelly's drive, Daisy Mae realized she should have called first. With all the vehicles, it appeared Shelly had a class in the yoga studio attached to the house. Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, Daisy Mae decided to wait. This was too important.

Pulling up to the building, she noticed a group dressed in comfortable yoga attire exiting. She let out a sigh of relief and thought,Thank goodness.After Shelly, who owned the studio,waved the last person out, Daisy Mae exited her truck and approached the entrance.

As usual, Shelly was all smiles. “Bonsoir,mon ami. What brings ya out tonight?”

“He be back,” Daisy Mae shot out.

Quizzically, Shelly looked at her. “Who?” Then, as if remembering some secret, her expressive eyes widened. “You no mean—”

“Oui. Steve be here.”

“Help me straighten da studio. I'll call da girls. We'll have dem pick up ice cream.”

Ice cream sounded divine, but Shelly wouldn't eat any. As a health food nut, she ate plant-based foods, and the ice cream Daisy Mae and their friends ate was definitely not plant-based, although they undoubtedly had some substitute for it.

As the two women tidied up the studio, their friends arrived. Alice Fournier and her sister Marie joined them as they walked along the stone path to the home’s entrance. Once inside, Alice took a pint of chocolate brownie fudge ice cream and gave it to Daisy Mae. Shelly handed her a spoon.

Daisy Mae flopped onto the plush couch and wasted no time opening the ice cream. While the others were still juggling their pints, she dug in without bothering with a bowl. She believed that a woman nursing a broken heart could only find solace in scoops of ice cream straight from the tub. Perhaps it was an unspoken golden rule, or maybe it was just an instinctual craving for comfort.

Making herself a disgusting-looking, plant-based, post-workout shake, Shelly asked, “How he look?”

Daisy Mae hesitated, the spoon poised near her lips, as she contemplated Shelly’s potential pursuit of him again. With her single status and striking beauty, Shelly overshadowed Daisy Mae. While Shelly embodied undeniable femininity, Daisy Maeprojected the image of a seasoned charter boat captain, often seen sporting a baseball cap. It was common for the men to favor Shelly over Daisy Mae whenever they gathered at the bar. It seemed that Daisy Mae’s grown tomboy persona failed to capture their attention. Which generally worked for her.

“Bon.” Romeo looked incredibly delicious. He exuded a rugged charm in his well-fitted black cargo pants, snug black T-shirt, and sturdy combat boots. His attire perfectly suited her image of him at his job in Maryland. She couldn’t help but wonder whether he had rushed over directly from work or had any other clothing. Given his youth penchant for cargo shorts and T-shirts, his current outfit choice wasn’t far from what she remembered.

Alice shook her head, pointed to Daisy Mae's socks with a spoon, and laughed. “Why you no get a cat already?”

Daisy Mae wore cat socks because she loved cats. “Cats no like da water, and I be on da water too often.”

Shaking her head, Marie took another bite of ice cream. After swallowing, she said, “I see cats on da water on dat social media. Ya just have ta find da right one.”

“And how, oh wise one, do ya recommend I do dat? Ask the shelter for a tryout of each cat ta see who no go berserk aboard thebateau?”

“Why not? Dey might even know which cats no be afraid of water.”

“Okay, so da cat no be afraid of water. Exactly how da ya ’xpect me to keep it away from da client's catch of da day?” Daisy Mae saw a fluffy cat trying to drag off a largemouth bass. She giggled at the thought. The others must have also because they all burst into laughter.

Sobering, Shelly stated matter-of-factly, “Train da cat.”

“Train it?” Daisy Mae sputtered. “Do ya even know da first thing ’bout cats?” Then she shook her head. “Why we be talking’bout this? I be having a more serious problem.”

Shelly drank her shake and raised her eyebrows at Daisy Mae. “Oui, ya do. Do ya still love him?”

“Non,” Daisy Mae blurted, knowing it was a lie. Yet, how could she love him when he didn't love her back? Why did life have to be so cruel?

Shelly smiled and winked. “Good. Maybe I go for him den.”

Daisy Mae could have punched her friend until she realized the woman was joking to rile her. And Shelly had succeeded. Daisy Mae put the spoon down on the ice cream lid on the coffee table. “Oui, so I do. But it be one-sided, so what does it matter?”

Marie pointed her spoon at her. “It matters a lot if it be bothering ya.”

“Mais non,” Daisy Mae retorted, “he went to college, den FBI, and den take dat job up North. He no visit his family. He calls his mother on da video to keep her happy. It like he no want to come home.”

Once, she thought her love for Steve Smith was a childhood infatuation. Yet, as a teenager, it grew more profound. She knew it was more than that when he came home after graduating college. And he didn't seem to notice or care. He and her brothers, mostly Pierre, would hang out and exclude her.

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